Kan. woman raises awareness about Lyme disease

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the 328,128 cases of Lyme disease that were confirmed between 1990 and 2008 represent only 10 percent of the actual cases of Lyme disease, according to the Lyme Disease Association.

Excerpted from MSNBC.com ( Posted: 09/18/2011)

When Tammy Farmer gave birth to her son, Logan, her life changed dramatically, but not in the usual way.

Without knowing it, Farmer was a carrier of Lyme disease, and it wasn’t until she went through the physical stress of childbirth that she began to experience symptoms like excruciating pain and cognitive impairment. Because the tick-borne bacterium that cause Lyme disease can pass through the placenta, Logan was infected before he was born.

As Farmer left the hospital with her newborn, she began the battle of her life, not only fighting for her and her son’s health, but also for other victims of Lyme disease by volunteering for Kansas Lyme Fighters Inc.

Lyme disease can cause a wide array of health challenges that range from gastrointestinal to neurological to musculoskeletal, making it easy to misdiagnose. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the 328,128 cases of Lyme disease that were confirmed between 1990 and 2008 represent only 10 percent of the actual cases of Lyme disease, according to the Lyme Disease Association. In fact, Farmer was misdiagnosed for seven years with baffled doctors telling her she had everything from multiple sclerosis to lupus.